Texas tops nation as fastest-growing state for tech jobs

The Lone Star State is making a case for being the country’s next technology hub. Dice.com recently released a report of the 10 fastest-growing states for tech jobs, and Texas is No. 1.

Texas is adding tech jobs faster than any other state, according the website, which lists job openings in the tech and engineering fields. In the first half of 2014, Texas added 8,100 tech jobs (nearly a 6 percent increase), creating a total of 143,300 such positions across the state.

With such impressive growth, Texas has the second largest technology workforce in the country behind California.

Dice notes that Texas employers are looking to the “future” of tech jobs. In Austin, Dallas and Houston, most job openings are for mobile applications, big data and software developers. Openings in these fields contributed to Texas’ impressive jump from last year’s No. 4 ranking.

So why the sudden — and somewhat surprising — growth of Texas’ tech sector? “We think what’s happening is every company is becoming a tech company,” a Dice spokesperson told Forbes. “Companies across the U.S. are relying more on technology, and in turn, smaller cities are now these unexpected tech hubs.”

Other states on the list included Florida (No. 2), North Carolina (No. 3) and Oregon (No. 4). Washington, the home of Amazon, ranked No. 5.